How Jeremy Lin Could Take Houston Rockets' Starting Point Guard Job Thanks to James Harden's Injury

One man's misfortune can be another man's opportunity—Jeremy Lin knows that better than anyone.

On Feb. 4, 2012, the New York Knicks were riddled with injuries, chief among them superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, when Lin, out of necessity, was called off the bench by former Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni. What happened next went beyond anyone's wildest expectations. Lin went on an offensive tear over the course of February, averaging 23.9 points for the remaining 11 games in the month as fans saw the birth of the "Linsanity" craze.

With the right timing, Lin emerged as a budding star on a New York team that turned around a season on the brink of failure and ended up making the playoffs.

Fast forward one season—and one team—later. Lin signed with the Houston Rockets as their splashiest offseason summer acquisition and was set to be a main weapon in Houston's offensive scheme before a late pre-season trade saw the Rockets acquire former Sixth Man of the Year James Harden in a paradigm-shifting, team-altering trade with Oklahoma City. However, the trade altered more than just Houston's offensive dynamics. Lin struggled in the first month of the season, averaging only 12.0 points on 41.7 percent shooting.

Lin had trouble adjusting to an offense where he had to play off the ball while Harden became the focal point of the Houston scoring system. However, he showed more spark when Harden was out of the lineup—as exemplified by his 38-point explosion in San Antonio last Dec. 10 and his 17.3 points and 6.9 assists during a nine-game stretch in April when Harden and Chandler Parsons were each out of the lineup due to injuries.

Now, here we are in Houston one year later. Same scenario, different twist. Once again, the Rockets have made a huge offseason acquisition, landing perennial All-Star center Dwight Howard to their roster in a bold move that has made the Rockets a legitimate NBA title contender. It's a Howard-Harden team now, with the sweet-shooting Parsons a solid No. 3 scoring option. Yet Lin, much to the chagrin of his diehard fanbase, might not be the starting point guard this season. The Palo Alto, Calif., native faces stiff competition from backup point guard Patrick Beverley, who emerged as a revelation in the first round of the NBA playoffs against OKC.

Rockets head coach and former Boston Celtics great Kevin McHale doesn't believe there's a conflict on the team. 

"As a player, I always found it irrelevant," McHale told ESPN, while bringing up the possibility that Lin and Beverley could split time on the floor. "I came off the bench in a lot of games. What is the big difference in playing 27½ minutes off the bench and playing 26 minutes as a starter? I guess it is a big deal to some people."

McHale's comments aside, the Lin-Beverly situation could be a larger issue than anyone realizes. It's one thing to go from being a star and the focal point of the offense—"The Man," if you will—to being a helpful cog, a supporting co-star. Dwyane Wade did it in Miami for LeBron James, and it worked out well; Wade is still an All-Star and the Heat are two-time world champions. Clyde Drexler, an eight-time All-Star with Portland, took a backseat to Hakeem Olajuwon in 1995 when Drexler was traded to Houston, and the Rockets ended up winning the NBA title that year. But for Lin to go from a star in New York, to a starter last season in Houston, and now to a mere backup? That's a fall from grace that, mentally, could be quite difficult to overcome.

However, as luck—or bad luck, for Rockets fans—would have it, the explosive Harden has been bitten by the injury bug again, having bumped his knee with Memphis' Quincy Pondexter during a Rockets-Grizzlies game on Friday. While the injury may not be a season-ender, or even one where Harden will miss significant playing time, the Rockets' All-Star guard is listed as day-to-day.

For Lin, fighting for his starting role with the Rockets, the timing couldn't be better.

If Harden is to see limited playing time in the coming days thanks to his injury, someone is going to have to find a way to keep the offense moving and set up Howard down low in the paint. That can work to Lin's advantage.

The stumbling block between them is the pick-and-roll. Lin is a natural pick-and-roll player, which made him a perfect fit for D'Antoni's system in New York. Howard, however, was turned off to that system in Los Angeles last season, a factor that may have lead to him heading for greener, younger pastures in Houston. Yet Olajuwon, who has worked out with Howard over the summer, has seen Lin and Howard play together, working with the Rockets' duo exclusively...and the NBA Hall of Famer likes what he sees.

"Just the little offense I saw, that combination is very deadly," Olajuwon told Fox 26, according to ESPN. "You can see that both of them are very excited, seeing that, 'Wow, we bring the right ingredients together.'

Chemistry is a key component in team-building, and the fact that Howard and Lin have built up a familiarity with each other prior to the season opener on Wednesday for the Rockets is a huge boon for Lin. That mutual understanding may become even more valuable in the coming days when McHale may makes a final decision for who will be the starting floor general for the Rockets this season. If Harden does miss some time, or if he takes reduced minutes while healing his knee, expect Lin to focus on attacking the basket, one of his hallmark strategies, while finding ways to feed the beast that is Howard in the post, or even out of it, as Howard has been working all summer on expanding his repertoire out of the paint. In those two roles, Lin has looked quite comfortable in the past. And the more comfortable Lin looks, the more likely he may be to win the starting guard's role.

"We have different strengths," Lin told ESPN recently of Beverley and himself when comparing their styles of play. "[Beverley] is such a good defender and shooter. I am better with the ball in my hands, attacking."

A simple, but effective strategy. Whoever plays to their strengths best—Lin or Beverley—will likely be the starting point guard.

However, if Lin wants to keep his starting point guard role, with or without Harden, his best weapon might be a simple one: confidence. The burden of living up to the hype of "Linsanity" is in the past, and the pressure of returning the Rockets to championship glory lies squarely on the broad shoulders of Howard and in the skilled hands of Harden. All Lin has to do is keep the turnovers low and play to the strengths that have taken him from unknown to overnight fan favorite.

Olajuwon may have summed it up best when explaining Lin's role on the team.

"To be on the right team, which he is right now, he can really help and play his role very well and be effective," Olajuwon said of Lin. "There's no pressure on him now. It's on Dwight and James. His position is crucial for the team's success, and he can play that role very well."